US President Donald Trump said preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon outweighs the risk of triggering a global economic depression, warning that military action remains firmly on the table if Tehran fails to honor its commitments.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump argued that a nuclear-armed Iran poses a far greater threat than any economic fallout from resumed military strikes, directly addressing concerns that a return to active conflict could tip the global economy into a deep recession.
“Nuclear weapon supersedes depression,” Trump said.“Depression is real bad but a nuclear weapon will cause depression much more quickly.”
Asked whether he was willing to risk a worldwide economic downturn by launching strikes against Iran if the current interim deal collapses, Trump rejected the premise that his strategy would collapse the economy, asserting that it is not going to cause a depression based on how he is handling it.
He emphasized that if Iran does not comply or fail to behave properly, he will take necessary measures. He added that stability would remain intact as long as Iran respects the United States.
Trump also acknowledged that economic anxieties, including the prospect of being compared to Herbert Hoover, the US president closely associated with the onset of the Great Depression—had been a major factor influencing his decision to sign the recent ceasefire memorandum with Iran.
The latest remarks appear to signal that while economic pressures originally drove his administration to the negotiating table, they will not deter him from walking away if enforcement fails.
When questioned about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s stated intention to maintain Israeli troop deployments in southern Lebanon, an apparent contradiction of the memorandum’s call for a comprehensive ceasefire across all regional fronts, Trump stated he would look into the matter, adding that he knows how to handle the situation with Netanyahu.